Information Sheet No.

10

Taper Turning

Learning Objective:

At the end of this lesson, the student should be able to:

1. Describe the different types of tapers and methods in taper turn.

Tapers
A round work is considered to be a taper when its diameter increases or decreases at a
uniform rate. Cones, lathe centres and taper shank drills are examples of tapered
components. Taper turning on a lathe can be done with the work held in a chuck or
between centres.

The purposes of producing tapers are :

 To allow fitted parts to be self centring
 To allow fitted parts to be self holding
 To allow fitted parts to separated easily.
 Tapers also permit the interchangeability
of certain cutting tools or attachments
with extreme accuracy.

Figure 18.1.1 –
Purpose of Tapers

Expressing a Taper

Figure 18.2 – Symbols Used for

Calculating Tapers
The following symbols are to be used:
L = Total length of workpiece in mm
I = Length of portion to be tapered in mm
D = Large diameter of taper in mm
d = Small diameter of taper in mm
T = Taper expressed as a ratio
 = Included angle of taper in degrees

There are three ways to specify Non-standard Tapers.

 Taper is the change in diameter per unit axial length ( D-d ) and can be expressed as a
ratio, for example: 1:10, 3:100

 The included taper angle (  ) expressed in degrees can be given. This method is used
when the taper angle is large.

Ratio
A 1:10 taper has a difference in diameter of 1mm for every 10mm of axial length.

Big Diameter - Small Diameter

Taper Ratio =
Tapered Length

Figure 18.3.1 – Taper Expressed in Ratio

From
Big Diameter - Small Diameter
Taper Ratio =
Tapered Length
 44 - 41 3 1
Taper Ratio = = =
30 30 10

Taper Ratio = 1: 10
Included Angle

The taper is expressed in degrees and minutes.

Figure 18.3.2 – Taper Expressed in Included Angle

Millimetres per Metre

The taper is expressed by the change in diameter per metre length.

Figure– Taper expressed in millimeters per meter

Standard Tapers

Various standards for taper are in common use; the most commonly used are :
 Morse Taper
 International Taper
 Brown and Sharp Taper
 Jarno Taper

Morse Tapers

The taper is approximately 1:9.2. It is probably the most widely used taper in the machine
industry. It is most commonly found on drills, reamers and lather centre shanks. The
standard
sizes are Nos. 0,1,2,3,4,5,6, and 7. No. 0 is the smallest and No.7 is the largest.

Figure 18.4.1a – Morse Tapers

Figure 11.7 – Morse Tapers

International Tapers

They are self-releasing tapers with big included angles. The standard sizes are Nos.
30,40,50 and 60.

Figure 11.8 – International Tapers

Brown and Sharp Tapers
The taper, approximately 1:24 is used on Brown and Sharp machines and accessories.

Jarno Tapers
The taper is 1:20. It is not as commonly used as some other standard tapers.

Methods of Turning Tapers

Taper turning on a lathe can be done on work held between centres or with a lathe chuck.

There are four methods by which tapers can be turned on a centre lathe. The four methods
are:
 Using a form tool.
 Swiveling the compound slide.
 Using the taper turning attachment.
 Offsetting the tailstock.

The choice of taper turning methods depends on the:

 Work length
 Taper length
 Taper angle
 Number of pieces to be machined
 Type of taper ( External or internal )
 1. Off-Setting the Compound Slide

This method is used for short tapers only. The compound rest is set to half the included
angle and then locked. Since there is no power feed for the compound rest, the job is
donemanually.
It is usual practice to turn from the small diameter to the large diameter.

Figure 18.5a - Half Included Angle

For example; to turn a component with an included angle of 60, we need to find the half
included angle. In this case it would be 30.

Figure 18.5b – Half Included Angle

Figure 18.5c - Off-setting the Compound Slide

The advantages of this method are:
 It can be used for turning external and internal tapers.
 It is easy to set up.

The limitations of this method are:

 It cannot use automatic feed.
 It is not suitable for machining tapers having lengths longer than the compound
slide travel.

2. Using a Form Tool

The tool bit is ground to the shape of the tapered angle and is fed directly to the
work to obtain the shape required. It is usually used for producing short tapers, eg.
chamfers and bevels.

Figure 17.2a – Using a Form Tool

Figure 17.2a – Using a Form Tool

The advantages of this method are:

 It can be used for turning external and internal tapers.
 It is easy to set up.

The limitations of this method are:

 It is not suitable for machining long tapers.
 Chattering will occur if the contact area between the tool and the work is big.
 3. Taper Turning Attachment Method

This method can only be done on lathes with

thisattachment. Long tapers are usually machined
this way. The taper turning attachment is attached
tothe cross slide of the lathe.The clamp when
tightened locks the carriage to the attachment so
that the toolfollows the angle at which the guide bar
has beenset.

Figure 17.3a - Using the

Taper
Turning Attachment
The attachment is set to half the included angle of the taper. The tool follows the angle at
which the guide bar has been set.

Figure 17.3b – Setting the Taper Turning Attachment

The advantages of this method are:

 It can be used for turning external and internal tapers.
 It can use automatic feed.
 Work can be held in a chuck or between centres.

The limitations of this method are:

 It cannot be used to cut steep tapers.
 4. Offsetting the Tailstock Method
The offsetting tailstock method is normally used for turning long tapers when other
methods are not available. When the centres are out of alignment, the workpiece gets taper
turned because the centre line of the work is at an angle with the movement of the tool.
The amount of taper depends upon the amount the tailstock is offset.

Figure 17.4 - Off-Setting the Tailstock

To calculate the amount of tailstock offset, you can use this formula:
L ( D-d )
Tailstock Offset =
2ℓ
Where D = Diameter of the large end
d = Diameter of the smaller end
L = Total length of workpiece
I = Length of tapered part
TPM = (D - d)  I

Figure 17.4.1 - Tapered Component

Example:
a. Determine the tailstock offset for a workpiece with a TPM of 0.005 mm
and the length of work is 400 mm.

Tailstock Offset = ( L x TPM )  2

= ( 400 x 0.005 )  2
 = 1.0 mm
b. Calculate the tailstock offset for the following job.
D = 30 mm
d = 20 mm
L = 250 mm
I = 75 mm
Tailstock Offset = { L x ( D – d )}  2 X I
= { 250 x ( 30 – 20 )}  2 x 75
= 16.66 mm
Exercises
a. Calculate the amount of tailstock offset to cut a taper for a work with large
diameter of 22 mm, small diameter 20 mm, length of taper 40 mm and length of
workpiece 200 mm. ( Ans : 5 mm)

b. Calculate the tailstock offset required to turn a 1:30 taper with 60 mm taper
length on a workpiece 300 mm long. The smaller diameter of the taper section is
20 mm. ( Ans : 5 mm )

The advantages of this method are:

 It can be used for turning long tapers.
 It can use automatic feed.

The limitations of this method are:

 It cannot turn internal tapers.

 The amount of tailstock offset is limited which will limit the tapered angle.
 The centres may be damaged if plain centres are used.
 It can cut tapers on work held between centres only.
Methods of offset Tailstock

When the amount of offset is determined, the tailstock can be offset accurately with a dial
indicator or with a feeler gage

Figure 17.4.6a – Offset the Tailstock

Using Dial Indicator

Figure 17.6.4c – Offset the

Tailstock

Figure 17.4.6b – Offset the Tailstock using the feeler gauge

Turning Larger Diameter

When turning a taper that has the larger diameter at the tailstock end, offset the
tailstock awayfrom the operator.

Figure 11.19 – Tailstock Offset Away from the Operator

Turning smaller Diameter

When turning a taper that has the smaller diameter at the tailstock end, offset the
tailstock
towards the operator.

Figure 11.20 – Tailstock Offset Towards the Operator

When the offset is great, the plain centres used for supporting the work for taper
turning will not provide sufficient support. It will also damage the centre hole. Ball centres
should be used instead.
 Figure 11.21 – Centre Support for Offsetting Tailstock Method

Checking the Accuracy of Tapers

Using taper gauges can check the size and fit of the tapers.

 Taper ring gauges are used for checking external tapers.

 Taper plug gauges are used for checking internal tapers.

Figure 18.6 – Gauges for Checking Tapers

Checking External Tapers

The accuracy of an external taper depends on:

 The included angle.
 The diameter.
 The length.

A correct external taper has:

 A good fit with the taper ring gauge.
 Its big diameter must lie between the high and low limit of the taper ring gauge.
 Figure 18.6.1 – Checking External Tapers

External Taper Fault

Figure 18.6.2 – External Taper Faults

Checking Internal Tapers

The accuracy of an internal taper depends on:
 The included angle.
 The diameter.
 The length.

A correct internal taper has:

 A good fit with the taper plug gauge.
 Its big diameter must lie between the high and low limit of the taper plug gauge.
 Figure 18.6.3 – Checking Internal Tapers
Internal Taper Faults

Figure 18.6.4 – Internal Taper Faults